STOP! COLLABORATE& STRATEGIZE Craig Spencer

Part 2: Bricks in UXR Method

UXPA 2017 TORONTO

Bricks in UXR▪ Highly collaborative, engages stakeholders▪ Lots of fun, it’s playful▪ An effective tool to get research understood & actioned

My journey using bricks

▪ I trained as a LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator in Denmark.

▪ It was the LEGO® bricks that initially sparked my interest :)

▪ Since training as a facilitator I have been using LEGO® bricks to helps teams work together, build shared experiences and ensure everyone in the team contributes.

Introduction to using bricks

▪ Using bricks in teams can ensure everyone has a common medium they can express themselves through (sketching, and post it notes don't suit everyone)

▪ Everyone can connect bricks, so it has a low barrier to entry, and is playful (teams feel excited and energised to use the bricks).

▪ But if you are going to use bricks, you still need to structure your workshop, it’s not a free-for-all.

Using bricks

▪ We can use bricks with users (customers) as a research tool to have users express their viewpoint.

▪ We can use bricks with stakeholders to understand their viewpoint and reach consensus.

▪ We can have unstructured bricks workshops or you can learn from the LSP process.

Advantages of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Program

▪ This is a formalised program of how to use LEGO® bricks in group settings to answer key business questions.

▪ It’s an Innovative process designed to enhance innovation and business performance.

▪ Based on research which shows that this kind of hands-on, minds-on learning produces a deeper, more meaningful understanding of the world.

▪ Learn more about the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® program.

LEGO®, SERIOUS PLAY®, the Minifigure and the Brick and Knob configurations are trademarks of the LEGO® Group, which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this presentation.

We can use Bricks to get teams to work together

We can introduce metaphor

We can build very complex models / scenarios to make sense of complex problems

Challenges using bricks

▪ It’s naturally playful, but your session with the bricks must be structured.

▪ Get everyone involved, everyone should build, and share what they have built.

▪ You need to warm up to getting the team to answer the problem, arrange short activities at the start of your workshop where the team can begin to express their thoughts through metaphor using the bricks.

Plan your session

Planning is critical to the success of your session ...

▪ Invite attendees▪ Order / get your bricks▪ Write your intro▪ Design your warm-up

exercises▪ If you want something more

structured consult LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® website

For this practice and the following one we will be exploring the following scenario:

▪ UXPA want to create a new mobile companion app to the 2018 UXPA Conference

Practice workshop

Practice

Build a model that shows your experience of learning about, booking, and registering for UXPA 2017?

10 minutes

Share your model with your group

1 minute each

PracticeGroup Model Building

As a group, build a model that shows your experience of learning about, booking, and registering for UXPA 2017?

10 minutes

Share your model with the entire class

2 mins per group

Recording the output from the workshop

▪ Keep the model!▪ Ask each participant to write down immediately

the meaning and metaphor in their model.▪ Get agreement on the entire meaning of the

group model.▪ Don’t rely on the picture, over time you will

forget what each brick meant.

What other questions can we answer with bricks?

▪ What features should we prioritize for the next version of the product?

▪ What should our product vision include?▪ What are the pain-points of our users? ▪ How would users describe our current product? ▪ What is the key need or scenario we need to solve

for?▪ What are the design principles we should have as

a team?▪ From the fieldwork, what are your memorable

moments, what did they tell you about the user?

Useful books on LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Program

▪ Building a Better Business Using the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® by Per Kristiansen.

▪ How to Facilitate Meetings & Workshops Using the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method

▪ Strategic Play: The Creative Facilitator's Guide #2: What the Duck!

▪ Train as a LSP certified facilitator http://www.rasmussenconsulting.dk/ & https://www.lego.com/en-gb/seriousplay/facilitator

▪

End of partContact: craigwspencer@googlemail.com

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